Shloka 17
Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
ऋषीणां सर्वलोकेषु यानि ते यान्ति देवता: । दमेन यानि नृपते गच्छन्ति परमर्षय:
ṛṣīṇāṃ sarvalokeṣu yāni te yānti devatāḥ | damena yāni nṛpate gacchanti paramarṣayaḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच—नृपते, सर्वलोकेषु देवता यानि यान्ति पदानि, तान्येव परमर्षयो दमेन यान्ति। तस्मादिन्द्रियनिग्रहः शीलसंयमश्च परमार्थगतेः साक्षादुपाय इति प्रकीर्तितम्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That self-restraint (dama)—discipline of the senses and mind—is powerful enough to grant the highest attainments, comparable to the divine states reached by the gods; ethical mastery is presented as a direct spiritual means.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on dharma; here he emphasizes that great seers attain exalted realms through self-control, underscoring restraint as a central virtue for both rulers and seekers.